The pagan temple of Garni is located about 30 km east of Yerevan, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Azat River ravine and the Geghama Mountains, forming part of the Garni fortress, one of the oldest fortresses in Armenia. It was built in the 1st century AD. The temple served as the summer residence of Armenian kings. It was a part of a larger royal complex with a bathhouse, palace ruins and fortress walls. Garni was dedicated to the sun god Mihr and is the only surviving pagan temple in the Caucasus region and the former Soviet Union. It is the best-preserved structure from pre-Christian Armenia and one of Armenia’s most important tourist attractions.